Dr. Li received his bachelor of arts degrees in English and foreign service in China. He graduated from Syracuse University with a Master's degree in International Relations. In 2000, he completed his doctoral study at Northern Arizona University with a Ph.D. degree in Comparative Politics. Since 2002, Dr. Li has been teaching at the University of Houston-Downtown. His areas of specialty include China's domestic and foreign policies, China's environmental & wildlife policy, political and social transformation under conditions of economic modernization. He also consults international animal welfare organizations.

"Peter is the go-to man for explaining what has happened and is currently happening in the arena of animal welfare in this highly diverse country ... Animal Welfare in China is a comprehensive review of the history of the ways in which nonhuman animals have been treated through the ages and what is currently happening in this highly diverse country. It also debunks misleading simplistic myths about what is happening in China. There are very few people who could write such a unique, timely, authoritative, well-referenced †the bibliography is an encyclopedic goldmine of information - and on-the-ground perspective of a wide range of topics including animal agriculture, bear farming, zoos, and the trade and consumption of exotic wildlife, dog meat, and other products." -- Marc Bekoff -- Psychology Today

'It is an absorbing, well referenced and easy-to-read book which gives a thorough account of animal welfare in China and will be a 'must have' textbook for scholars, animal protectionists and those interested in social welfare.' -- Pei Su -- Wellbeing International

[The book is] recommended reading for anyone interested in anthrozoology in the context of Chinese society and Chinese history more broadly, and could be considered essential background reading for operational advocates, academic researchers, and international agriculture policy-makers working in the region. -- Michelle Sinclair -- Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science